The invention relates to a safety mask and more specifically to a safety mask for playing racquetball or squash.
In the past safety masks have been used in different sports. One familiar example is the catcher's mask that is used in baseball. It has a fairly heavy frame with a plurality of vertical and horizontal cross members that intersect each other and which are laterally spaced by a distance less than the diameter of a baseball. These cross members are relatively thick and relatively heavy due to the necessity of being able to stop a baseball traveling at speeds up to 100 mph. The loss of peripheral vision through the mask is of secondary importance to the need for protection from injuries. The design of the baseball mask and the positioning of the cross members is such that the wearer of the mask is given his primary visibility in the area directly forward of his eyes since he is primarily receiving throws from other players from a direction immediately in front of him.
Another example of a mask that is used in a sport, is a football mask. This type of mask is always attached to a football helmet and the number of cross members and their locations on the front of the mask are determined by the position that the player plays and the importance of his unrestricted visibility. If the player is a lineman, the primary importance of the mask is to prevent fingers, fist, elbows, etc. from reaching the players face. If the player is a pass receiver or back, the amount of protection provided for the player's face is reduced in order to maximize the player's visibility.
An additional example of a sport that uses a safety mask is fencing. Here the protection of the wearer's face is of maximum importance. Since the thickness of the object being protected against is very small in diameter, the fencer's mask has a grid network covering it formed from closely spaced wires running primarily in horizontal and vertical planes. The grid network is designed to prevent the penetration of the point of a rapier or like dueling instrument. The mask has no heavy cross members such as a baseball or football mask. Here the force of the object attempting to penetrate through the wearer's mask is small and the weight of the metal wires of the grid network can be kept relatively low. By virtue of the wire members being so closely spaced together, the visibility of the wearer is greatly reduced but in this sport it is acceptable for the wearer as long as he can make out the sihouette of his opponent.
In the past five years, the sport of racquetball has developed an ever increasing number of afficianados and novices. With this tremendous growth of the sport has also come numerous injuries. Most of these are either injuries to the eye resulting from the player turning around at the same time his opponent has smashed the ball forwardly in his direction or injuries to a player's teeth where his opponent's swing has made contact with more than just the ball. The game of racquetball is played with abandon and intensity by many players and there exists a need to protect the player's facial area.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel racquetball or squash safety mask that will prevent the wearer from being struck in the eye by either the ball or the other player's racquet.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel racquetball or squash safety mask that will protect the wearer's teeth from damage due to an errant swing by an opponent.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel racquetball or squash safety mask that will protect the wearer from an errant swing of an opponent that might strike the wearer in the temple area.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel racquetball or squash safety mask that will provide maximum protection from both a ball or racquet while providing maximum visibility for the wearer.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel racquetball or squash safety mask having great protective strength while still being of only a minimal weight.